The Story County Auditor reported a total of five students voted for either Chuck Jons or Victoria Szopinski in the 4th Ward Ames City Council runoff elections Tuesday. 

Precinct 4, which was stationed in the Maple Hall conference room, had four students vote in the regular city elections on Nov. 8. Two of the students that voted then returned for the runoff election.

“We were expecting the same or maybe less,” said Joan Traylor, a county auditor working at the Maple Hall polling area. “Runoff elections may not interest students.”

A runoff election is held after no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the regular city election. In a runoff election, the candidate who receives the highest number of votes will be elected.

Voting at the 5th Precinct, held at UDCC, saw a similar low turnout. Three students arrived to vote, two of whom voted in the regular elections.

“Students just aren’t interested in city elections,” said Joyce Carney, who has worked for the county auditor since 1980.

Carney explained that student turnout for voting tends to be lower, “except on state elections.”

According to the Story County Auditor website, 403 4th Ward residents in all five precincts had voted by 3 p.m. on the election day out of the 9,311 registered voters in the ward. Precincts 4 and 5 are both located on Iowa State’s campus and are for student voters.

“We need to let students know that city decisions really do affect them,” said Ellen Arkovich, a county auditor working in precinct four.

Arkovich referred to CyRide as a major aspect of student’s lives that is directly affected by elected city officials.

Mara Spooner, an Ames resident, said she has always been a voter. 

“The first elections I’ve missed since I was 18 was this year’s school board election and I was sorry I did,” she said. “In fact, I’ve not yet voted today, I’m picking up my boyfriend from work just before polls close so that we can both vote.”

Spooner said turnouts are generally low for local elections and especially low for a special or runoff elections.

“I feel that voting for your local elections is especially important,” she said. “With fewer than 10 people voting today, each of us directly influences the outcome. And this is for a seat in our City Council, who make and influence decisions that impact everyone in Ames.

“Also, I’d hate to miss an opportunity to add to my ‘I Voted’ sticker collection.”